yeah i've redeemed it off gmg but never recieved an activation code for it - i've just got the activation code for the main game. Did you get 2 seperate codes? one for the game, and one for dlc?
Cheers

Originally Posted by bazmod
yeah i've redeemed it off gmg but never recieved an activation code for it - i've just got the activation code for the main game. Did you get 2 seperate codes? one for the game, and one for dlc?
Cheers

Just received one key so I assumed the game includes the DLC by default in our case. If it is not (I have to get home from work to check), then better drop them an email. They are usually pretty fast to reply.

Originally Posted by JonNik
Just received one key so I assumed the game includes the DLC by default in our case. If it is not (I have to get home from work to check), then better drop them an email. They are usually pretty fast to reply.

cool thanks for the reply. Hopefully once the games finished downloading it should be obvious whether its included or not. At the moment steam is saying I don't own any DLC for the game but I also can't see the DLC to buy on the steam store anywhere. It's all a bit confusing really!

Hm. I played for about 80 minutes - I think the game-play is fine (although so far I have too little gold/glory to afford decent skills). the graphics are not really a step up from Risen though - the popping is really bad and shadows don't look good either. I can't believe they tested this on a PC really - I have everything maxed, and there are still major popping artifacts. objects pop in right in front of you too - logs, some barrels etc. Some foliage seems to 'dimenion-warp' in (!) - that must be a bug. It looks like a billboard scaling up for some reason. Its pretty distracting. Combat is confusing with the camera angle - seems to lock onto arb opponents. Since I do not have a manual I don't know if there's a way you're supposed to manage combat better. Anyway, not bad, but they could have done more to fix things.

Yes, I hope they can patch some improvements in. Hopefully someone will post a tweak ini soon… From what I can see, the engine is pretty much the one they used for Risen - one would have hoped they addressed issues with that, but they are a small studio, so I suppose it's not reasonable to expect that. Maybe they should give their source code to the gothic community and have them fix it

But the list of talents and skills looks interesting. I tried fighting some better swordsman and had my butt kicked ;-) Initially its button mashing, but it def requires use of talents later to win.

Originally Posted by bazmod
yeah i've redeemed it off gmg but never recieved an activation code for it - i've just got the activation code for the main game. Did you get 2 seperate codes? one for the game, and one for dlc?
Cheers

You might want to check your GMG account again. I only got one email with the key for the main game, and the key for the DLC has now been added to the keys section. Oddly enough, it was called "Valve Test App" when I redeemed it in Steam, but it seems to have worked okay.

Originally Posted by booboo
Hm. I played for about 80 minutes - I think the game-play is fine (although so far I have too little gold/glory to afford decent skills). the graphics are not really a step up from Risen though - the popping is really bad and shadows don't look good either. I can't believe they tested this on a PC really - I have everything maxed, and there are still major popping artifacts. objects pop in right in front of you too - logs, some barrels etc. Some foliage seems to 'dimenion-warp' in (!) - that must be a bug. It looks like a billboard scaling up for some reason. Its pretty distracting. Combat is confusing with the camera angle - seems to lock onto arb opponents. Since I do not have a manual I don't know if there's a way you're supposed to manage combat better. Anyway, not bad, but they could have done more to fix things.

I've also played it for a couple of hours but my impressions are different.

Also everything maxed (GTX560 and latest beta driver) but in my case I don't see any popping objects or whatsoever.
Instead of popping objects there is something else but I don't think it's a bug. While moving through the jungle, plants seem alive and are shrinking as you approach them, but are growing back into a thick mass while you're moving away. Plants are not alive of course, and this "trick" only improves visibility of the nearby area, and if you ask me it's a great feature. Honestly I don't remember seeing this in first Risen, but then again my rig was very old back then and I played it on lowest settings.

I had no problems with combat nor camera, actually it seemed pretty much straightforward and easy - except the duels/training. But you see there that your opponents in duels are using moves you still didn't unlock, so it's logical to lose those early game.
Mobs on the shore and in the jungle are pretty easy to kill and I actually thought about setting the game on hard. But then a jaguar jumped on me and I died in 3 seconds. Reloaded the game, got the party member back (not spoiling everything!) and somehow we managed to kill that "beast". And it wasn't easy. But then a mere spider jumped out in a cave and practically nailed both of our arses with two hits! I'm definetly leaving the setting on normal, obviously there are and there will be many challenges.

Now some more things not mentioned by booboo…
The vocabulary is "dirty" enough to meet my taste. And I want to hear more of it!
I've seen in some reviews a minus for non-existing minimap, but honestly you don't need one (you can get a sketch map of the island you're exploring and check your position on it anytime you want).
Also some reviews give a minus because the game lacks of "MMO for dummies" quest giver/location/trigger/target pointers, but I really don't see the reason to include those in this game. Not only that, I feel that if those were added, it'd ruin exploring experience, so actually not adding those to the game is only a plus. If you're unsure into something however, you may always consult your log.
booboo noticed first and I confirmed, Steam version doesn't have a manual included. It's not bad as it looks, inside the game you can see details about pretty much everything you want to see.

I'm on the second island the game looks very promising, interesting and I like it. The ambients are pinpointed good enough that all the time I just expect Jack Sparrow jumping out from a corner any time.
Please keep in mind that things I've posted are only initial impressions, dunno about later game stuff.

It's true that graphics could get some improvements, but c'mon let's not be nitpickers spoiled with "billions invested in" EA games and such. In fact I like the looks.
It really wouldn't be fair to compare this game with Skyrim or The Witcher 2 - if there is a game to compare this one with it's Sea Dogs and a number of it's spin-offs. And if you tried one of those Akella pirate-sim games, Risen 2 looks as Sea Dogs on steroids with better graphics, better sounds, better story, better everything only there are no ship fights here. But who knows, maybe some future DLC adds exactly that?

Can you dodge at the beginning of the game? I was told to 'dodge from the boar' when it attacked - but double tapping directional keys etc doesn't seem to work. At the moment all I can do is turn around an run…sure I could dodge in Risen 1.

@joxer - the popping I'm talking about is really noticeable for me (GTX 480, latest beta drivers). I see plants flicker and then appear in the distance, objects (logs, pots etc - but not all) appear 10m in front of me (some object-based appearance LOD value etc). I have now tweaked the INI file slightly, so the game runs more slowly but I get much less of the popping appearing. As for the plant shrinking thing - I don't like it at all Maybe they intended that it looks that way, but I know a fair bit about graphics tech/LOD etc and that just looks a buggy LOD implementation. But it is odd that only happens on some foliage…Still, I'm having fun.

Another note: any idea how to pass time? I couldn't find a bed to sleep and had to run all the way back to the ship to sleep (!)

No I can't dodge in classic console "rollaway" scheme, but I can hit warthog then run a bit on a side so they can't nuke me with charging forward just like that.
The best results you'll get if instead waiting for it to run towards you - you do exactly the same to it - you charge then hit&hit&hit, move a bit on a side, again hit&hit&hit… etc.
I mean… If there is a key combo for dodging, I dunno what is it. But you don't need to dodge those tiny animals at all, c'mon!

Sorry for those objects popping out on you, I really don't know what to say. It simply doesn't happen on my machine. Also there is no flickering in the distance here.

You can pass time only on beds. And any bed will do. The problem is that sometimes your only option is a bed in a house/building you shouldn't enter or you'll be attacked by a guard/guards/security/whatever. In those cases however…

Spoiler

Just sneak in! Sneaking can be trained by the arrested pirate - he's locked but you can still talk to him through bars. And he's available on both starting locations.

awesome so far, I like how I'm dirt poor all the time… and I die a lot , refreshing change from other RPGs.
@Booboo - plants do the same for me , they change size whenever I go near them thought it was just part of their rendering engine , doesn't bother me that much.
graphics look old but I was never much of a graphic buff anyway(I still play fallout and Baldur's gate sometimes).

It's much better than most of the review scores I've seen, imo. The only thing I really don't like so far is the stupid QTE traps. On hard difficulty, those things kill me every time unless I already know where they are.